Soothe
by Blue Dartwing
Summary: There was more the elf than met the eye.


**This canon occurred to me while I was running through the Reach as Caralia in werewolf form. It also solidifies a plot point, whereas before the point was sketchy at best.**

* * *

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Elithiel cooed, as the golden werewolf shied away from her hand. "Caralia. It's okay."

The wolf nudged its snout into her hand as she spoke softly to it, rubbing her fingers along the short fur on its nose.

"It's all going to be okay," she whispered.

The wolf looked up and its eyes were human, the vivid green of Caralia's irises. Before Elithiel's eyes, the wolf shrunk, and its golden fur receded, until a naked High Elf was crouching, quivering, before her.

"Filthy cur!" she heard a voice snarl, and turned to see the limping Thalmor female from before. "You have tainted your bloodline with a _wolf!_" The elf cast a strong healing spell. "This is despicable. You are a race-traitor!"

The shock on Caralia's face would have made Elithiel laugh any other day. But she knew the implications of betraying her blood. Even as the elf sneered and spat out the words, she had known what was to come.

"Caralia, formerly of the Thalmor, I find you guilty of the destruction of your bloodline, and consider you a traitor to your own kind. The First Emissary _will_ hear about this, I assure you."

The elf turned and fled, casting a fireball at Caralia as she did so, to cover her tracks.

Elithiel turned and grabbed the Altmer before she fell.

"Easy now," she murmured, helping her over to a rock and digging out a health potion. She tipped it down the Altmer's throat and rubbed her back soothingly.

The burns on the elf's skin healed immediately, but even as Elithiel placed one bronzed hand on her shoulder, she could tell there were emotional wounds there too. Sure enough, the beautiful elf began to cry, wailing like a child, tears pouring from her eyes.

The half-elf stretched up and threw her arms around the Altmer, pulling Caralia against her and stroking her hair.

"_Why_?" the elf finally screamed.

She continued to sob for a few minutes, eventually wrapping her arms around the Dragonborn, crying into her hair. Her tears finally abated when she began to get cold. Elithiel noticed her shivering and pulled a sabre cat fur out from her backpack, wrapping around her.

"If someone had told me a week ago that the Dragonborn would be wrapping a cat pelt around me," Caralia began quietly, "I would have had them sent to the torture chamber." She gazed at her companion. "The Divines must have a sense of humour," she muttered. "Aided by the woman I was sent to capture, the Dragonborn, and Bianca Ariandil's niece, to boot."

"I'm sure Talos is sitting up there, tossing his sword from side to side and grinning," Elithiel said dryly. When Caralia glared at her, she just laughed. "Admit it; Talos is a Divine. The Aldmeri Dominion is simply a bad loser."

She stood up.

"'Talos worship is strictly forbidden'," she began in a nasally accent. "'We're all really annoyed with him because he destroyed us.'"

"If you're trying to imitate me," Caralia began, "you're failing. My voice is _much_ nicer."

The Bosmerial laughed.

"Actually, I was going more for Ondolemar," she replied.

Caralia shivered at the mention of his name.

"He didn't scare you, did he?" Elithiel asked with a grin.

"_Scare _me?" Caralia asked, one eyebrow arching. "I'm shivering from the memory of his touch. He was a _fantastic_ lover."

"Oh, he got both of you, did he?" the half-elf asked with a smirk.

"You mean Bianca got him too?" Caralia demanded. The girl nodded with a smirk on her face.

The High Elf sighed.

"How did you get the blood?" Elithiel finally asked.

"It was a hundred years ago," Caralia replied. "I was riding through the Heartlands in Cyrodiil when I came across a Shrine of Hircine. It was the full moon and they were all about to transform. An Altmer male approached me. I drew my sword but he motioned for me to put it away. I did so. I could tell immediately that he had a perfect, pure bloodline. He asked me if I wanted to become a wolf. At first I was disgusted by the idea, but he…"

She trailed off, blushing.

"Let me guess. There was something alluring about him, something powerful, and masculine, and alpha-like," Elithiel said.

"You know the feeling?" Caralia asked.

"Can't you smell it on me?" Elithiel enquired.

"Yes. I can. You are mated to the alpha male," Caralia replied.

"And so he changed you, and you hunted with your new brothers and sisters," Elithiel guessed.

"Yes. And when I awoke, I knew immediately that I could never tell anyone," Caralia finished.

The Bosmerial put her hand on Caralia's shoulder.

"The Companions are werewolves," she informed her. "Me. My husband. My brother in law. You could join us."

The Altmer looked shocked.

"But they'd never allow me to join," she said with a sigh.

"I think they will. I'm their Harbinger," Elithiel told her. "And goodness knows you can fight in a battle."

"But I'm an elf," Caralia whispered.

"There's a Dunmer there already, and Bianca is in," Elithiel began, "not to mention the fact that I'm a half-and-half, and they accepted me." Then she shrugged. "One of our previous Harbingers was an elf named Henantier."

"Why are you helping me?" Caralia asked. "I captured you. The Thalmor have made your lives a misery. Why haven't you destroyed me with your Voice?"

"Because now you're just another outlaw, like me," Elithiel replied. "C'mon. Let's get you some clothes."

* * *

**Because can you imagine the Thalmor allowing werewolves in their ranks? I can't. **


End file.
